Worship and Service Hymnal ‎#387

387. Prayer Is the Soul's Sincere Desire

1 Prayer is the soul's sincere desire,
Unuttered or expressed,
The motion of a hidden fire
That trembles in the breast.

2 Prayer is the burden of a sigh,
The falling of a tear,
The upward glancing of the eye
When none but God is near.

3 Prayer is the simplest form of speech
That infant lips can try;
Prayer the sublimest strains that reach
The Majesty on high.

4 Prayer is the Christian's vital breath,
The Christian's native air,
His watchword at the gates of death;
He enters heaven with prayer.

5 O Thou, by whom we come to God,
The Life, the Truth, the Way!
The path of prayer Thyself hast trod;
Lord, teach us how to pray.

Amen.

Text Information

• First Line: Prayer is the soul's sincere desire
• Title: Prayer Is the Soul's Sincere Desire
• Author: James Montgomery, 1771-1854
• Language: English
• Publication Date: 1957
• Topic: Intercession; Prayer: Hymns about; The Christian Way of Life: Prayer and Watchfulness
• Notes: Alternate tune: ST. AGNES, No. 472

Tune Information

• Name: NAOMI
• Composer: Hans G. Nägeli, 1773-1836
• Arranger: Lowell Mason, 1792-1872
• Key: D Major